Conscientious Objection: Not Just For the Military Anymore

A pharmacist working for Walgreen's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin refuses to fill a prescription for emergency contraception (EC) [1]. In Louisiana, another pharmacist sends a couple, instructed by their physician not to get pregnant for 2-3 years following cesarean section, 30 miles out of their way because he believes birth control is "œtantamount to abortion" and he "did not want to commit a sin" [2].

In Texas, a rape survivor is turned away by three pharmacists refusing to fill her EC prescription on moral grounds [3].

In New Hampshire a woman with a legal prescription for EC was... (more)

Tags: pharmacists rights

He loves me...He loves me not.

Many of you ladies may have read, or at least heard of, the book "He's just not that into you" by Greg Behrendt. The book was touted to me as an all inclusive guide to understanding men. As I understood it, men were "quaking in their boots" in fear that all of their deceptive player games would be revealed. I opened the book with anticipation. In my hot little hands were the answers to age old questions like, "why hasn't he called me"", and it had only cost me $14.95 retail! As my eyes poured over the pages my excitement turned to disappointment. What I had in my hot little hands was... (more)

Tags: dating, hes just not that into you, greg behrendt, guide to understanding men, meeting men

When Science Meets Morality: The Embryonic Stem Cell Debate

On April 11, 2007 the Senate passed the “Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007” where it now awaits the signature of President Bush. Similar to the bill previously vetoed by Bush, this bill outlines the standards by which human embryonic stem cell research should be conducted, and provides for the derivation of human embryonic stem cell lines from excess embryos generated for the purpose of in-vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF is the process by which donor eggs are fertilized by donor sperm in a Petri dish and allowed to develop for 3-5 days into the developmental stage known as the blastula.... (more)

Tags: medicine

Run for your life!

After 6 months of Friday nights spent in an early bed so that I could greet the dawn with the crisp Santa Monica morning air filling my ever expanding lungs I was ready, and on March 4, 2007 I crossed the finish line of the Los Angeles City Marathon. As my friend and I huffed and puffed our way along the oft-times entertaining, sometimes dreary 26.2 mile course there was nary a moment that a young person in a bright turquoise hat and singlet couldn’t be spotted or their laughter heard. These middle and high school kids were members of a group called Students Run L.A. Students Run L.A. began... (more)

Tags: los angeles, santa monica